In the automotive air conditioning aftermarket business, air conditioning systems are presently custom built for each particular make and model of automobile. The systems include a custom built condenser and custom built brackets for supporting the condenser in the engine well. The brackets are generally permanently welded to the condenser housing. The tubes which carry the refrigerant to and from the condenser are presently manufactured and attached in the specific length and shape necessary to assemble the custom built air conditioning system. Because each make and model of automobile requires a different specifically designed and shaped air conditioning assembly, automotive air conditioning suppliers in the aftermarket are forced to maintain extensive inventories of custom built condensers at significant cost.
The present invention addresses the foregoing problems by providing a limited number of standardized condensers which are fitted with appropriate brackets and tubing such that the characteristics of a custom built condenser can be duplicated. The present invention employs five condensers each with a slightly different shape and performance characteristic in order to duplicate the performance characteristic of a desired custom built condenser. After one of the five condensers is determined to have the desired performance characteristic, the selected condenser is fitted upon installation with specifically manufactured and shaped brackets, appropriately shaped tubing for carrying a desired refrigerant, and a series of tube fasteners for securing the tubes to the condenser in a sealing engagement. Using this approach, an automotive air conditioning supplier is only required to stock the five standard condensers and a collection of brackets, tubing, tube fasteners, and receiver driers in order to meet the performance requirements of a custom built condenser.
The brackets of the present invention are manufactured and shaped in order to facilitate the assembly of the standard condenser within the engine well of an automobile designed to house a custom built condenser. The brackets required by the particular installation are stocked in inventory by the supplier and although this represents an inventory requirement such a requirement is significantly less than the inventory required to stock an equivalent number of custom built condensers.
In the alternative, the specifically shaped brackets are manufactured as needed by the supplier through the use of an automated CNC turret press. The CNC turret press stamps from a piece of sheet metal a set of brackets according to a desired specification in order to fit the requirements of a particular installation. This ability to efficiently provide specifically shaped brackets in direct response to ascertained demand provides the automotive air conditioning supplier with additional savings in inventory requirements.
The tubes of the present invention are designed to assemble any of the five standard condensers and may be supplied in varying lengths in order to fit the requirements of a particular installation or designed and shaped for that particular installation. The tubes are supplied in straight lengths and upon installation are bent to fit the space limitations of the particular engine well. The present invention also employs a two part slide fastener for securing the tubes to the condenser. The fastener makes field installation of the condenser easy and environmentally safe because an adequate seal is achieved between the tube assembly and the condenser.